Doni Rogers Funeral

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Prelude................................... streamed music, tribute video

Family Processional:

Prayer & Scripture:........... Rev. David Thomas

(John 3:14-16) "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; [15] that whoever believes may in Him have eternal life. [16] "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.
(Mat 25:46) "And [the wicked] will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."
(John 5:24) "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.
(John 6:40 & 47) "For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him, may have eternal life; and I Myself will raise him up on the last day. Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life.”
(John 11:25-26) Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me shall live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?"
(Psa 116:15) Precious in the sight of the LORD Is the death of His godly ones.
(Isa 25:8) He will swallow up death for all time, And the Lord GOD will wipe tears away from all faces, And He will remove the reproach of His people from all the earth; For the LORD has spoken.
(Rev 21:4) and He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there shall no longer be any death; there shall no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away."

Reading of Obituary:

Donita “Doni” Mae Rogers, 89, died January 1, 2025, at Chase County Care and Rehabilitation. She was born March 10, 1935, to William Jerome and Letha May (Crockett) Moore. She grew up on a farm seven miles north of Burdett, KS.
Doni graduated from Burdett High School in 1953, Fort Hays University in 1957 and George Williams College in Chicago with her master’s degree in 1962.
Donita and Cotton Rogers were married in June of 1965 and lived south of Manhattan. For the next 5 years, they ranched and Donita taught at Junction City High School. In 1969, they bought a place in southwest Chase County and Doni taught at Chase County High School for 3 years. She quit teaching to help on their ranch and cattle operation.
From 1990 to 2014, Doni lived 10 miles northwest of Burns. She rode a little, mowed a lot, enjoyed friends and communing with the Lord.
Doni is survived by: several cousins and a host of friends from all over.
Read prepared statement
As you consider Doni’s call to choose Jesus, there is a song that she wished for us to hear.

Special Music....... The Promises of God

TRANSITION: I invite you to join me at Matthew 17 where Jesus and 3 of His disciples share an experience that gives us absolute confidence that there is something good on the other side of death.

When this Event happens

HIGHpoint - Jesus is declared to be the Messiah (Mt 16:13-20)
LOWpoint - death is a very real future (Mt 16:21-23)
DECISION - Are you willing to accept and participate? (Mt 16:24-28)
There is a question that stands before each of us this moment. What give you hope of heaven in the afterlife? Are you willing to give up your own desires and choose to follow Jesus? The main part of this message is to point out the reward for those who say “yes” to Mt 16:24-25
Matthew 16:24–25 ESV:2016
24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
WAITING - six days later (Mt 17:1)
Matthew 17:1 ESV:2016
1 And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves.

Where this Event happens

Mountains were places of Revelation; places where God and humans met and God provided new understanding; places where the next chapter opens in the story of God.
Significant things happen on mountain tops — Ezekiel 28:13-14 indicates that the Garden of Eden was on a Mountain (in God’s Presence), Moriah (Abraham/Isaac), Sinai (Moses), Psalm 24 - who shall ascend the Mountain of the Lord.

What happens at this Event

transfigured/transformed/metamorphosed -
used in science to describe a caterpillar transforming into a butterfly
used in Greek and Roman mythology to describe any time the mythic gods took on physical attributes.
used in the New Testament to describe humans becoming ready for the afterlife (Romans 12; 2 Corinthians 3 )
The fact that Jesus was transformed and that the scientific and theological realms testify of transformation, leads me to conclude that we should not be shocked at all to consider that there is a change between our earthly existence and the eternal, spiritual world.
2. Jesus’ shining face (Rev 22) and white clothes reveals something other-worldly is going on
derivative - Moses on Sinai comes down from Sinai and reflects the glory from God.
essential - Jesus on this mountain reveals the glory of God.
3. Mt 17:3 - Moses (representing the law) and Elijah (representing the prophets) testify that Jesus [no other man, no other prophet] is the glory of God that they were seeking. He is the one who fulfills everything from the Jewish scriptures.
Moses and Elijah were both OT characters who specifically asked to see God. Here that desire is fully met.
After Jesus’ resurrection when he meets with the 2 disciples on the road to Emmaus, Jesus tells these post-crucifixion, post-resurrection believers that it was Moses and the prophets who spoke about Him.
4. Notice Jesus does not speak on his own in this entire event. It isn’t until after the event is complete that Jesus speaks in Mt 17:7.
The glorious appearance of Jesus speaks for Him.
The presence of OT characters speak of His role in History
Mt 17:5 - The voice (Father) in the cloud (Spirit) [cf. Exodus experiences] interrupts Peter and repeats what was said at Jesus’ baptism and adds a command — listen to him.
The correction for Peter is good advice for us!
Peter presumes that all three deserve a temple or dwelling place; the Voice of the Triune God clarifies “Jesus is the unique, only one” God is not pleased with anything less than the incarnate Son himself.
We may put our rules or our religion on equal footing with the work of Christ, but God clearly implies, “Get your eyes off your religion, and focus on Jesus alone. He is the one with whom I am pleased. Listen to Him and you will be ready for the transformed existence.
2. Peter wants to start a construction process right there. It is as if Peter is enjoying a spiritual event and thinks that is all there is or will every be to the spiritual life. “I’ve seen glory, let’s stop and stay right here.”
3. The correction for Peter and for us is to not stop where we are, but to listen to Jesus as He was about to do something (Mt 16:21-23) that is going to seem painful, but go through it and glory is waiting for you as well.

What this Event means for us

Glory is on the Other Side - New Creation/New Order/New Way of Life
MT 17:7 - Jesus wants to touch and comfort you!
Why did I select this text for a funeral message? Because those who mourn need comfort. Those in pain need hope. Those who view death as the end need the hope that there IS something greater and later, yet to come.
Mt 17:8 - Only Jesus can make sense out of life’s highs and lows. Only Jesus gives purpose and hope to the decades of life that Arthur lived, or the years that you and I may have.

Conclusion:

The beauty of this obscure story in the Gospels is that Jesus is unique from all other religious characters of History. Only Jesus is the one with whom the Father is pleased. Only through Jesus will we EVER experience the glory of this account.
Only through Jesus can we experience the comfort of v.7
Only through Jesus can we have the hope of glory after death and suffering.
You and I need to listen to the command of God in v.5 and follow the example of Peter, James and John in v. 8—my desire through these words is that you will look freshly upon Jesus, because nobody else can offer what He does.

Benediction

In accordance with Doni’s wishes, I have tried to keep this service short and to the point so that the family and her “horse friends” can have more time to relax and share stories around the lunch tables.

May the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God and His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord and may the blessing of God Almighty the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit be upon you. Amen.

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